Transfer iron



Dec. 2, 1952 A. W, MIcKEL TRANSFER IRON Ffiled Dec. 24, 1949 IN V EN TOR.

a TTOIP/Vf) r Patented Dec. 2, 1952 TRANSFER IRON Allen W. Mickel, Camden, N. J., assignor to Kaumagraph Company, a corporation of Delaware Application December 24, 1949, Serial No. 135,017

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved transfer iron for applying heat transfers.

Heat transfers are in wide use for the marking of 'various materials, particularly for applying identifying markings and decorative designs to articles formed from textile materials such as hosiery and other Wearing apparel. The transfers employed for this purpose comprise a suitable backing strip or base, usually made of paper, bearing on one face a marking composition in the shape of the design or printed marking to be applied to the article. The article is marked by placing the transfer on it with the marking composition in contact with the surface to be marked and then applying heat and pressure to the back of the transfer base. Under the influence of the heat and pressure the marking composition is transferred to the surface of the article, on which it remains when the base is stripped away. In applying such transfers on a commercial scale, it is a common practice to apply the heat and pressure to effect transfer of the design or other marking by means of a specially designed tool known as a transfer iron.

These irons are commonly designed to be manipulated by the operator by hand to apply the transfers individually.

While this method of applying the transfers is generally satisfactory, it has certain drawbacks and disadvantages. For example, when the transfers are employed in marking hoisery and other articles of wearing apparel formed of silk and various thermoplastic synthetic fibers that have a tendency to soften at or adjacent the temperatures employed in transfer marking operations, the iron sometimes produces a glazed effect on the fabric in and adjacent the area to which the transfer marking is applied. In the application of transfer markings to textile fabrics, it is important that the ink shall penetrate at least the surface portions and be absorbed sufficiently to establish a firm bond, and at the same time the application of the transfer must be made in such a way as not to squeeze the ink out from the predetermined outlines of the marking and cause it to smear. Otherwise a good appearance will not be obtained. Transfer markings are also sometimes applied to nonabso-rbent or hard surfaces. Squeezing and smearing of the ink is particularly apt to occur when the application is made to such surfaces unless care and skill are employed. Both when marking textile fabrics and when marking nonabsorbent and hard surfaces the skill of the operator is a determining factor in the production of markings of ood quality. A clumsy operator will produce a smear when a skillful operator with the same transfer and the same surface would not. When the surface is hard and nonabso-rbent, as is the case, for example, when the markings are to be applied to Bakelite panels, the application must be made very deftly if a clear impression is to be obtained.

Heat transfers of the type referred to have not proved successful heretofore for the marking of hard surfaces which are slightly uneven. If the surface to which the transfer is to be applied is not plane, the application of pressure by the unyielding surface of the shoe of the transfer iron results in the application of varying degrees of pressure at various parts of the transfer with the result that too great pressure .is applied at the high points and insufficient pressure at the low points. The resulting markings show great irregularity. For this reason it has not been possible to employ heat transfers for the marking of grained wood surfaces with any substantial measure of success.

There is shown and claimed in the copending application of Trowbridge Marston and Winthrop S. Lawrence, Serial. No. 665,597, filed April 27, 1946, for Transfer Iron, an iron suitable for use in connection with such materials. That iron has a working surface of resilient material, so that all portions of the transfer are forced resiliently against the surface of the material to which the transfer is being applied, regardless of the surface characteristics of the latter material. The resilient material in that iron is located between the heating element and the transfer and hence delays to a greater or lesser extent the transmission of the heat to the transfer. Since it is usually desired to operate such an iron rather rapidly, this delay in the transmission of heat introduces an undesirable limitation to the speed with which the iron may be operated.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a'transfer iron having a resilient working surface with improved heat conducting characteristics.

A further object is to provide a transfer iron whose working surface is an electrically conductive heating element.

A further object is to provide a transfer iron having a working surface of Wire screen or cloth, which acts as the heating element of the iron, and a resilient backing member behind the wire screen which forces it yieldably against the transfer, regardless of any unevenness in the contour of the material to which the transfer is being applied.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to Fig. 1, there is shown a transfer iron having an upwardly extending handle I attached at its lower end to a generally horizontal frame 2 of insulating material. The lower face of the frame 2 is recessed as indicated at 3, and the recess 3 is filled with a pad 4 of flexible heat resistant material. I prefer to use silicone sponge rubber for this pad. A sheet of Nichrome wire cloth 5 is fastened at its ends to the insulating frame 2 by means of terminal strips 6. Suitable electrical connections (not shown) maybe provided for supplying electric current to the terminals 6.

It-should be understood that my invention is not limited to any particular size of wire for the cloth or to any specific dimensions for the cloth. However, there has been used in one particular structure a Nichrome wire cloth whose wires are .0031 in diameter woven in 100 x 100 mesh. The cloth used was 2% wide and 3 between terminals. A suitable voltage is about 2.9 to 3 volts, with a current of from 30 to 31 amperes. Under these conditions, the operating temperature of the iron surface varies from 170 to 200 C., depending upon the type of transfer used and the type of material to which the transfer is being applied. The foregoing dimensions and operational data are supplied by way of example only and not by way of limitation.

Referring now to the embodiment of my invention disclosed in Figs. 2 to 4, there is shown a handle 1 attached to a hollow rod 8 which is rigidly fastened at its lower end to a box-shaped holder 9 open at its lower face. A resilient pad l0, which may be made of silicone sponge rubber, is retained in the holder 9 by any suitable means.

Slidably mounted on the rod 8 above the holder 9 is a bushing H. Rigidly fastened to the bushing H is a member l2 of electrical insulating' material, for example, ceramic. The opposite sides of the member [2 are provided with electrical terminals 13 which extend through the member l2 into electrical contact with metal brackets l8. The member l2 and brackets 18 together form a frame which supports the opposite ends of a strip of Nichrome wire cloth 14. A spring l5encircles the rod 8 between the upper end of the bushing H and the lower surface of the handle 1 and tends to separate those parts. It thereby tends to lift the handle 1, rod 8 and pad H3 so that normally the pad is separated from the wire cloth [5.

When the transfer iron is being used, as soon as the wire cloth engages the transfer surface, a further downward push on the handle 1 causes the spring l5 to yield, thereby bringing the pad [0 down against the wire [4 and-forcing the latter to conform to any irregularities in the surface of the material being worked on.

A cover it is attached to the bushing ll and encloses in spaced-relation the member 12, the pad l0 and the brackets I8.

Suitable means, including a socket H in the cover l6 are provided for conveying electric current to the terminals l3.

Since the pad [0 is separated from the wire cloth l4 except during the actual working periods of the iron, it may be seen that the wire may be operated at a higher temperature without damaging the pad in this embodiment of my invention than is possible in the previous embodiment where the wire is always in contact with the pad.

-A transfer iron embodying my invention has the heating element directly at the working surface of the iron, without any intervening structure. The working surface is therefore the hottest part of the iron. This makes for a more (efficient utilization of heat and also permits the iron to be rapidly operated since there is no lag inthe transmission of heat from the heat ing element to the working surface.

It will be understood that the iron is capable of use for purposes other than in applying transfer markingsfrom heat transfers where similar problems of applying heat quickly along with yielding or resilient pressure to localized areas ofa surface are presented.

I claim:

l. A transfer iron comprising a handle, a frame movably mounted on said handle, a sheet of electrically conductive resistance material attached at its opposite sides to the sides of the frame and extending across the bottom of the iron so as to contact the material being ironed, and a resilientpad connected to the handle for movement therewith and interposed between the handle and the sheet in overlying relation to the latter, and spring means connecting the frame and the handle and biasing said frame and handle to normal relative positions wherein. the pad is spaced from the sheet, said handle being effective to move the pad into engagement with the sheet and hold the sheet resiliently in contact with the material being ironed when the iron is pushed down on the material by means of the handle.

2. A transfer iron comprising a handle, a frame carried by said handle, a woven screen of electrically conductive resistance material attached at its opposite sides to the sides of the frame and extending across the bottom of the iron so asto contact the material being ironed, a resilient pad of electrical insulating material interposed between the frame and the sheet in overlying relation to the latter and effective to hold the screen resiliently in contact with the material being ironed when the iron is pushed down on the material by means of the handle.

3. A transfer iron comprising an upwardly extending handle, a frame of electrical insulating material carried by said handle at its lower end, said frame having a recess in its lowerside, a woven screen of electrically conductive resistance material attached at its opposite sides to the sides of the frame and extending under the recess so as to contact the material being ironed, and a resilient pad within said recess and effective to hold the screen resiliently in contact with the material being'ironed when the iron is pushed down on the material by means of the handle.

4. A transfer iron comprising a handle, a resilient pad having a flat under surface and rigidly connected to and movable with said handle, a frame having portions'thereof extending downwardly at opposite sides of and in spaced relation to said pad, a flexible sheet of electrically conductive resistance material supported by the frame and extending across the space between the downwardly extending portions of said frame and beneath the pad, and a yieidable connection between the handle and the frame including means biasing the pad and handle upwardly with respect to the frame and the flexible sheet so that the pad is normally spaced from the sheet, said yieldable connection being effective when the iron is pushed down on the material by means of the handle, to allow the pad to move against the sheet and hold it resiliently in contact with the material being ironed.

5. A transfer iron comprising a handle, a resilient pad of electrical insulating material having a flat under surface and connected to and movable with said handle, a frame above and spanning the pad, a pair of electrically conductive brackets depending from opposite sides of the frame in spaced relation to said pad, a flexible screen of electrically conductive material attached to the brackets and extending under the pad, a spring biasing the pad and handle upwardly with respect to the frame and screen so that the pad is normally spaced from the screen,

said spring being yieldable so that when the iron is pushed down on the material by means of the handle, the pad is moved against the screen and holds it resiliently in contact with the material being ironed.

6. A transfer iron comprising a handle, a rod attached to the handle and extending downwardly therefrom, a resilient pad having a flat under surface attached to the lower end of the rod, means defining a frame slidably mounted on the rod above the pad and spanning the pad, a pair of electrically conductive brackets depending from opposite sides of said frame, an electrical resistance element in the form of a strip of flexible screen material attached at its opposite ends to the brackets and extending under the pad, a spring encircling the rod between a portion of said frame and the handle and biasing the pad and handle upwardly with respect to the frame and screen so that the pad is normally spaced from the screen, said spring being yieldable so that when the iron is pushed down on the material being ironed by means of the handle, the pad is moved against the screen and holds it resiliently in contact with the material.

7. An iron comprising a screen of electrically conductive resistance material, a supporting frame for the screen including rigid side members attached to opposite sides of the screen and a rigid connecting member extending between said side members and spaced from the screen by said side members, a resilient pad within the space between the screen and the connecting member, a rigid backing member attached to the upper surface of said pad, an upwardly extending handle, a rigid connection between the handle and the backing member, said connection extending through an aperture in the connecting member of said frame, and means biasing the pad and handle upwardly with respect to the frame and screen so that the pad is normally spaced from the screen, said biasing means being effective when the iron is pushed down against a surface by means of the handle to allow the pad to move against th screen and hold it resiliently in contact with the surface of the material being ironed.

ALLEN W. MZCKEL.

Clillliil The foliowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATEf-ITS Number Name Date 186,179 Taylor Jan. 9, 1877 658,601 Tirnar Sept. 25, 1900 1,625,009 Whited Apr. 19, 1927 1,789,464 Harts Jan. 20, 1931 2,122,554 Brautigam July 5, 1938 2,341,360 Bulgin Feb. 8, 194% 2,418,557 Reiser Apr. 8, 19 17 2/189543 Hunter Nov. 29, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 8,398 Great Britain Apr. 21, 1896 710,285 France Aug. 20, 1931 

